Advanced Reading
with
by Mohsen Askari & Mehrave Samadi Rahim
Copy Editor:
Amy Schirmer
Table of Contents Introduction...................................................................................1 Tips for fluent reading...................................................................2 Chapter 1............ Gabriel García Marquez.....................................3 Chapter 2.......................Piketty fever.............................................11 Chapter 3....................... Into Thin Air...........................................18 Chapter 4 ........... Language and Morality......................................26 Chapter 5 ......................Ideas reinvenTED....................................34 Chapter 6....................... Let the light shine in...............................43 Chapter 7 ......................Wealth by degrees....................................53 Chapter 8 ......................Easeful Death..........................................62 Chapter 9 .................................New highs.....................................70 Chapter 10.....................Call him Queen Bee................................79 Chapter 11.....................The Mars and Venus question..................88 Chapter 12.......... Decluttering the company...................................96 Chapter 1....................... Corruption in FIFA.................................106 Chapter 14.....................Planetology comes of age.........................116
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We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Amy Schirmer, our American CELTA instructor, for accepting copy editing the book, despite her extremely busy schedule. We wish to thank Jennifer Batchelor, Senior Rights & Syndication Executive of The Economist. She generously granted the copyright of using the articles from the magazine. We owe a debt of gratitude to Mohsen Ghorbanpoor, whose meticulous reading of the book on a very short notice, provided us with ample practical hints and suggestions. We are especially indebted to Ms. Ashna Ghasemi without whose concerted efforts in Aftab Alborz Publication the book would not be published. We also like to thank the following people for their encouragement throughout the project: Faculty members of Alborz university especially; DR. Taherinia, Dr. Bahmani, and Dr. Ghomi, Kish-e Mehr staff and colleagues especially the head of the institute, Mr. Noori. Finally, our family members who were patient with our being away and not attending family occasions.
Introduction Reading is one of the most complicated phenomena humans ever have to engage in. When we read in another language, not surprisingly, this can be even more convoluted and sometimes frustrating. This complexity can be attributed to the fact that “we were never born to read.” 1 As a result, we should learn this skill and train our brain to decipher the message which is not coming from a face to face communication rather from a written text. The best method to learn reading skill is reading every day and often. You should identify your interest and read as much as possible around it. Some scholars argue that authentic materials will arouse interest in many students which is the reason behind writing this book. When every week my wife and I eagerly went through brilliant stories of the prestigious magazine, The Economist, It dawned on us why not sharing this pleasure of reading with our students. Therefore, we collected about 15 up to date articles and sought copyright for using the articles which generously was granted. The textbook contains 14 chapters. Chapters include one passage each except for chapter three which is composed of two short passages. The book comes with an audio CD which contains recording of all passages. Since this book is developed for class use, answer key is not provided with the book. However, teachers can request the answer key via the following email:
[email protected]. We hope you enjoy reading this book as much as we did developing it. Mohsen Askari & Mehrave Samadi Rahim August 2014 1
Wolf, (2008)
Tips for fluent reading
Chapter Preview CONTENT:
Chapter 1
The biography of Gabriel García Marquez
READING SKILL:
Scanning:
“There is always something – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
When you need to find specific information in a text, you should scan it, or move your eyes very quickly across the text without reading every word, stopping only to “pick up” the information you are looking for.
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Pre-Reading Questions
Discuss these questions in pairs.
1. Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction? Why? 2. Have you ever heard the name of Gabriel García Marquez? What genre is he famous for? Vocabulary Warm-up 1. immense 2. vent 3. reinforce 4. feud 5. startling 6. revere 7. mediate 8. plagued 9. colossus
Reading Skill
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions.
a) respect b) to try to end a quarrel between two people c) to cause pain, suffering, or trouble to someone, especially for a long period of time d) make it stronger e) to express feelings of anger, hatred etc. f) to continue quarrelling for a long time, often in a violent way g) very unusual or surprising h) extremely important i) extremely large
Scanning
Scanning is moving your eyes quickly over a page. You scan to find the information you are looking for, such as the name of a person or a company. When you scan, you do not read every word. If you are looking for names of people, look only for words that begin with capital letters. A. Read these statements about the Gabriel García Marquez. Read and listen to the following text. Then check if they are true (T) or false (F): T 1. Marquez was in the cave with Mafia for 15 months. 2. Marquez was brought up in a village called Aracataca. 3. Marquez founded a new style named magical realism. 4. Marquez’s first profession was writing novels. 5. A crowd of banana workers were killed by the army in Aracataca
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F
Chapter 1: Scanning
1 to keep yourself separate from other people 2 come out from somewhere 3 to discuss something seriously 4 a liquid that is frothy has lots of small bubbles on top 5 uncomfortable because there is not enough fresh air 6 very long and boring
7 literary among or surrounded by things 8 someone who looks for gold, minerals, oil etch. 9 a word meaning to have sex with someone who you are not married to – used to show strong disapproval 10 a bad or dishonest man, especially someone who cheats or deceives other people 11 to breathe in air, smoke, or gas OPP exhale 12 a plant used in cooking, especially in Italian cooking
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 a large network of paths or passages which cross each other, making it very difficult to find your way SYN maze 2 Attracted 3 a cloth that is wrapped around a dead person’s body before it is buried 4 appearance
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5 terrorism financed by profits from illegal drug trafficking 6 small unofficial military groups that fight 7 very strange and difficult to understand, like something from a dream 8 to completely understand 9 someone who leaves their own country to live in another, usually for political reasons
Chapter 1: Scanning
1 a circle of light or something bright 2 to have a fondness for someone, something, or an animal. 3 to make a straight narrow cut in cloth, paper, skin etc
4 a young newspaper or television reporter without much experience 5 sounding and looking completely serious when you are saying or doing something funny 6 someone who cannot sleep easily 7 Within the uterus or womb 8 a long narrow piece of land which sticks out into the sea 9 done or made so smoothly that you cannot tell where one thing stops and another begins 10 pure
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 makes a long high noise 2 a white or pink flower 3 with your mouth wide open
Reading Comprehension B. Read each question and then scan the text to find the correct answers. 1. What happened to Gabriel García Márquez in 1965? 2. Which war Marquez’s grandfather had fought in? 3. How many languages One Hundred Years of Solitude has been translated into? 4. Which groups did Marquez mediate with? 5. When did he win the Nobel Prize? 6. Who brought him up? 7. Who influenced Marquez in his writing? 8. What was his last major work? C. Read each question and then scan the text to find the correct answers among the options. 1. What is the main idea in the first paragraph? A. Providing details about Marquez life B. Setting the scene for one of Marquez’ critical stages in life C. Giving chronological account of Marquez life 2. What is the intention of the author in writing the second paragraph? A. Talking about the location of Marquez imprisonment B. Describing geographical features of his birthplace C. Providing a glimpse of ideas and imaginations that ran through Marquez’ mind when writing in the room 3. The third paragraphs tries to define: A. The reception of Marquez’ main novel B. The conflicts of Buendía family C. The scene of a manslaughter 4. The fourth Paragraph gives information on . . . . . . . activities of Marquez
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Chapter 1: Scanning A. Political B. Military C. Economic 5. Was he brought up in a safe domestic environment? A. Yes B. No C. Not given Vocabulary Comprehension D. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use each word only once. suffocating
soft spot
surreal
shroud
discoursing
guise
colossus
emerge into
intrauterine
inhaled
promontory
deadpan
labyrinth
insomniacs
interminable
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
We watched an.......................documentary on rice production. It was very hot inside the car, and I felt as though I was ........................ Entertainment .......................MCA Inc. was purchased for $6.6 billion. But a moment later, the ....................... reappears, driven together by the churning of a deep distributed mob. Iris was ....................... with animation, her hands describing sweeping patterns in the air, her whole attention focused on her subject. Every time he ......................., his lungs made an awful wheezing sound. The doors opened and people began to ....................... the street. Statues of angels, Madonnas, saints and saviors cram the skyline, creating a .......................panoply of agony and ecstasy. But the approach itself is never questioned, so the abuses simply resurface later in a new ........................ I’ll confess that Echo Chambers has a ....................... for sports. It was such a jolly little lighthouse, white, and standing at the very end of a ........................ “We’re out of gas, so I guess you’ll have to walk home,” he said, giving me a ....................... expression. “Kimberly Ann” a primal client, rendered a series of stream of consciousness paintings of her ....................... traumas. Decisions are frequently delayed in the ....................... of Whitehall committees. Some ....................... sleep best with two twin mattresses placed atop a king-size frame.
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Discussion
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
1. Why did Marquez lock himself away for writing the novel? 2. Why do you think he called the room in which he was writing “The Cave of the Mafia”? 3. In what ways did Marquez’s childhood and hometown influence his works? 4. Did Marquez like power? How do you know? 5. Why did his grandfather say, “There is no shore on the other side?”
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Piketty Fever
Chapter 2
CONTENT: On a book popularity
READING SKILL: Skimming:
When you skim a reading selection, you read it quickly to learn about its content and organization. You don’t read every word. Instead, your eyes move very quickly over the selection, trying to find general information (e.g., the topic of a reading).
“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but – Mahatma Gandhi
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Pre-Reading Questions
Discuss these questions in pairs.
1. Do you believe that the rich are growing richer, and the poor are growing poorer? 2. Would you pay more taxes, if this eliminated poverty by creating jobs for everyone? 3. Will there always be poverty in the world? Vocabulary Warm-up
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions.
1. accumulate
a) the speed at which something happens or is done
2. boost
b) to reduce or prevent the bad effect of something, by doing something that has the opposite effect
3. idle rich
c) to increase or improve something and make it more successful
4. provoke
d) more than is normal or reasonable
5. hostility
e) to cause a reaction or feeling, especially a sudden one
6. pace
f) strong or angry opposition to something often in a violent way
7. appropriation
g) rich people who do not have to work
8. counteract
h) to gradually increase in numbers or amount until there is a large quantity in one place
9. unduly
i) an unfair situation
10. inequality
k) the act of taking control of something without asking permission
Reading Skill
Skimming
To skim a text, your eyes should move methodically and quickly across lines and downwards, taking in groups of words, rather than individual words, if possible. Skimming is to get the general sense of a passage or book, not specific details. A. Read these questions and then skim the following passage for the answers. Work as quickly as you can—no more than four minutes for the skimming. a) Who is Piketty? b) What is his book about? c) What has made his book so controversial?
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Chapter 2: Skimming
Piketty fever
1 unsteady or not straight or level 2 a book or film that is very good or successful 3 extreme excitement or interest, or someone or something that causes this 4 a person or business that sells goods to customers in a shop 5 a book that has a strong stiff cover 6 an advantage that makes something better or more useful than something else
7 a nasty experience, feeling, or situation is unpleasant
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 when a situation is not certain because there is the possibility of sudden change OPP stability 2 a statement in which someone complains about something 3 something said or written that mentions a subject, person etc indirectly 4 the most important piece of work by a writer or artist 5 an innate quality or ability is something you are born with 6 to be angry about something 7 change the appearance, sound, taste etc of something so that people do not recognize it
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8 something that is wrong with something, which could be improved 9 excessively sentimental 10 to think or suppose something 11 bubble; drop 12 language or words used by a particular group
Chapter 2: Skimming
1 a new business activity that involves taking risks 2 a job or activity that is lucrative lets you earn a lot of money SYN profitable 3 to risk money on the result of a race, game, competition, or other future event 4 an official document promising that a government or company will pay back money that it has borrowed, often with interest 5 a basic ideas, features, or facts on which something is based
6 a group of people with experience or knowledge of a particular subject, who work to produce ideas and give advice 7 to greatly reduce an amount, price etc – used especially in newspapers and advertising 8 to help an economy, industry, or government so that it can continue to exist
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 a statement that something will happen in the future, especially one made by someone with religious or magic powers 2 in a particular style of speaking or writing about something 3 to take someone’s attention away from something by making them look at or listen to something else: 4 used to talk about something that has been continuing for a long time
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5 a strong opinion that someone expresses 6 a natural tendency to behave in a particular way 7 to make a situation, attitude etc, especially a bad one, continue to exist for a long time 8 more than is normal or reasonable 9 get/be given short shrift if you or your idea, suggestion etc is given short shrift, you are told immediately that you are wrong and are not given any attention or sympathy 10 usually with over to avoid talking about something unpleasant 11 happy and having no worries
Chapter 2: Skimming
1 a very big change that often causes problems 2 a large amount or quantity of something 3 to put all the parts of something together
Reading Comprehension B. Look at the following statements and the list of people in the box below. Match each statement with the correct person. 1. Financial capital earns a return is an idea having been long disliked. 2. The levels of future inequality have probably been exaggerated in Pickety’s book. 3. Mr Piketty fails to take account of the variation in his analysis. 4. Mr Piketty’s pessimism is disproportionate. 5. Mr Piketty’s recommendations are motivated by ideology more than economics. A Kevin Hassett B Clive Crook C Tyler Cowen D Daniel Shuchman E Jim Pethokoukis F Greg Mankiw C. Answer the following questions. 1. What was the author’s main purpose in writing this account? 2. What are the main categories for criticism of Mr Piketty’s book? 3. What does Mr Piketty mean by the statement “r > g”? 4. How does Mr Piketty illustrate his points? 5. What does Mr Piketty think about riskier ventures? 6. What has happened to wealth since 1700? 7. According to Mr Piketty, how the return on capital can be propped? 8. What is the topic of final section of the pikketty’s book? 9. What is the result of growing inequality in Pikketty’s idea?
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Vocabulary Comprehension D. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use each word only once. wonky
prop
blob
blithely
retailer
reckoned
instability
think-tank
perpetuate
venture
mass
mushily
glossed
bedrock
disguise
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
I still haven’t really settled to it because my nerves have gone all ....................... being in the house. The average selling price for flats in the area was ....................... to be around £200,000.. She carried with her the values of the eastern seaboard, sought to ....................... them, and succeeded The government introduced measures to ....................... up the stock market. There was a ....................... of people around the club entrance. She ....................... over the details of her divorce. Without a telescope, the comet will look like a fuzzy ........................ Cook for two minutes until soft but do not cook ........................ “There’s no way you can ....................... that southern accent. He seems ....................... unaware of how much anger he’s caused. Marriage and children are the ....................... of family life. That coterie would also act, as they did for the 1991 event, very much as a ........................ Mattel would not disclose its investment in the new ........................ A big reason why ....................... file for bankruptcy is their inability to get credit. There are fears that political ....................... in the region will lead to civil war.
Discussion A. Discuss the following questions with a partner. 1. “Wealth generally grows faster than the economy.” Do you agree? 2. What is the consequence of this statement “greater wealth brings greater opportunity to save and invest” ? 3. The statement “r > g” is central to the book’s argument that wealth tends to accumulate over time. How is this true? 4. Discuss what message is communicated in the following cartoons?
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Chapter 2: Skimming
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
Into Thin Air
CONTENT:
Chapter 3
News on Nepalis’ loss and women’s hardship at work
READING SKILL: Previewing
The aim of previewing is to find out what you are going to be reading before you actually read it. You preview to get an idea of what you will find in the text.
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“It is not the mountain we – Sir Edmund Hillary
Chapter 3: Previewing Pre-Reading Questions 1. 2. 3. 4.
Discuss these questions in pairs.
Have you ever climbed a mountain? How did you feel? Do you believe mountain climbing can be dangerous? Women have less chance of being a boss. Do you agree? Women don’t have a good leadership talent. Do you agree?
Vocabulary Warm-up
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions.
1. altitude
a) someone who continues to live after an accident, war, or illness
2. survivor
b) feeling angry, jealous, and upset because you think you have been treated unfairly
3. bitter
c) a large mass of snow, ice, and rocks that falls down the side of a mountain
4. precipice
d) to become stronger again after a period of weakness or defeat
5. pessimistic
e) someone whose job is to carry people’s bags at railway stations, airports
6. rally
f) the height of an object or place above the sea
7. avalanche
g) expecting that bad things will happen in the future or that something will have a bad result
8. porters
h) a dangerous situation in which something very bad could happen
Reading Skill
Previewing
The aim of previewing is to find out what you are going to be reading before you actually read it. You preview to get an idea of what you will find in the text. By Previewing for just a few seconds, you can pick up a great deal of information about the text you are going to read.
A. Preview the text I and text II. Look only at the title and pictures. Then answer the following questions. Time limit: Sixty seconds to preview each text. a) Where do you think these stories originally appeared? b) Where does the first story take place? c) What is the second text about?
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 a small piece of something solid, without a particular shape 2 to break suddenly into very small pieces, or to make something break in this way 3 causing death, or able to cause death 4 the total number of people who die in an accident, war
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5 to carry people or things a short distance from one place to another in a boat or other vehicle 6 to hit or fall against the surface of something 7 ground, roads, weather conditions etc that are treacherous are particularly dangerous because you cannot see the dangers very easily 8 an area of land or water, especially one that is long and narrow
Chapter 3: Previewing
1 a large mass of ice which moves slowly down a mountain valley 2 to become smaller, or to make something smaller, through the effects of heat or water 3 relating to a particular race, nation, or tribe and their customs and traditions 4 a death in an accident or a violent attack 5 a long and carefully organized journey, especially to a dangerous or unfamiliar place, or the people that make this journey 6 to ask for something very firmly, especially because you think you have a right to do this 7 money paid to someone because they have suffered injury or loss, or because something they own has been damaged
8 a noisy quarrel or fight among a group of people, especially in a public place 9 if fighting, violence, noise etc erupts, it starts suddenly 10 when people have money and everything that is needed for a good life 11 to emphasize the fact that something is important or true
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
Carly Fiorina
1 to dismiss someone from their job
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2 to carry out a particular activity or process, especially in order to get information or prove facts
Chapter 3: Previewing
1 to start being in charge of something such as a business or organization 2 something that is exotic seems unusual and interesting because it is related to a foreign country – use this to show approval 3 too much or too little in relation to something else 4 to stop doing something, discussing something, or continuing with something 5 not as high as others of the same type
6 if a plan, idea, or event is in the pipeline, it is being prepared and it will happen or be completed soon 7 to make a sudden military attack on a place 8 a person, group, or organization that you compete with in sport, business, a fight etc
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Reading Comprehension B. Answer the questions below using no more than three words from the passages. Text I 1. How many people are killed? 2. What was the job of the killed? 3. How high was the place of ice avalanche? 4. How much do climbers pay to climb Everest? 5. How much is paid to the families for their loss? Text II 1. What is the percentage of female CEOs? 2. How much higher is the likelihood of female CEOs being forced to quit? 3. What percentage of female CEOs are hired from outside the company? 4. What happened to Carly Fiorina? 5. Who is Ginni Rometty? C. Answer the following questions. Text I 1. Who are Sherpas? What defines them and what is significant about them? 2. Why is Sherpas’ job more dangerous than that of soldiers in war zone? 3. Why the road for carrying equipment has become more dangerous? 4. What is significant about the incident? Text II 1. Why do female CEOs gain more publicity when something goes wrong? 2. What is the message of the last paragraph? Vocabulary Comprehension D. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use each word only once.
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death toll
protest
treacherous
sack
conducting
expedition
compensation
underscores
kicked out
disproportionate
brawl
lump
rivals
dropped
exotic
Chapter 3: Previewing 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Melt a ....................... of butter in your frying-pan. The official ....................... stands at 53. Strong winds and loose rocks made climbing ........................ The purpose of the .......................was to explore the North American coastline. Thousands of people blocked the street, ....................... against the new legislation. The workers were given 30 days’ pay as ........................ The report .......................the importance of childhood immunizations. They couldn’t ....................... me – I’d done nothing wrong. He was ....................... of the golf club. We are not going to do anything ........................ Nationally, a ....................... 48 percent of all foster children are minorities. We are ....................... a survey of consumer attitudes towards organic food. This gives the company a competitive advantage over its ....................... The proposal was ...................... after opposition from civil liberties groups. Several witnesses said that Slatter started the .......................
Discussion
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
1. What is the motive of the author to choose “Into thin air” as the title of the reading passage? 2. Paraphrase the following sentence “A deadly avalanche ends the spring assault on Everest.” 3. Michelle Ryan says “women face nothing less than a “glass cliff ”. Can you link this sentence with the pictures of the first text? 4. What is the message of the second text? 5. How do feel when you climb to the summit of a mountain?
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
Language and Morality
Chapter Preview
Chapter 4
CONTENT: Language and Morality
READING SKILL:
Understanding Inference The aim of making inference is to use the clues in the text to guess about text and about the writer’s ideas.
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“Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good – Henry David Thoreau
Chapter 4: Understanding Inference
Pre-Reading Questions
Discuss these questions in pairs.
1. What would you do if you ran over a cat in a residential area of town? 2. What would you do if someone in a shop gave you a 50 $ bill instead of 5$? Vocabulary Warm-up 1. moral 2. dilemma
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions. a) to spend time thinking carefully and seriously about a problem, a difficult question, or something that has happened b) a situation that could possibly happen
3. utilitarian
c) not knowing that something bad is happening or going to happen
4. hypothesize
d) to become stronger again after a period of weakness or defeat
5. scenario
e) a situation in which it is very difficult to decide what to do, because all the choices seem equally good or equally bad
6. rally
f) the political belief that an action is good if it helps the largest number of people
7. ponder
g) relating to the principles of what is right and wrong behavior, and with the difference between good and evil
8. unsuspecting
h) to suggest a possible explanation that has not yet been proved to be true
Reading Skill
Understanding Inference
Information in a reading passage can be found in two ways: by what is stated directly and written clearly on the page, or by what we can infer. When we infer, we use the information that is stated directly to draw conclusions about events, or the writer’s opinion or purpose. Knowing how to infer can help you to better understand the writer’s purpose and ideas. It is a useful skill to know when reading for pleasure, and can help you better understand reading passages in exams.
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
A. Read through each of the following statements carefully. Scan through the reading passage and decide if each statement is stated (S) or inferred (I). Check () the correct column. S
I
a) People who are physically and emotionally far from a killing scene would be more likely cause it. b) The language in which the dilemma is asked can change the way people respond. c) In Dr Costa’s experiment, 13% of the answers would be utilitarian when asked in a foreign language. d) Dr Costa’s experiment has the same effect in every language. e) Korean subjects are least likely to push fat man in comparison with other language speakers. f) The subjects in the experiment were on average studying language for 7 years. g) The subjects’ language skills were pretty good.
LANGUAGE AND MORALITY
1 according to canon law 2 a narrow bridge used by people who are walking
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3 an electric vehicle for carrying passengers which moves along the street on metal tracks
Chapter 4: Understanding Inference
1 to be afraid and show it by shaking a little bit or moving back slightly 2 to push someone or something in a rough or careless way, using your hands or shoulders 3 to change the direction in which something travels 4 to gently persuade or encourage someone to take a particular decision or action 5 contrary to intuition or to common-sense expectation
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 related to the process of knowing, understanding, and learning something
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2 if two ideas, beliefs, opinions etc conflict, they cannot exist together or both be true 3 a strong dislike of something or someone 4 to increase or improve something and make it more successful 5 to be successful, unsuccessful etc. 6 something that is effortless is done in a very skillful way that makes it seem easy
Chapter 4: Understanding Inference
1 the process of making something such as a business operate in a lot of different countries all around the world, or the result of this
2 making you feel less worried or frightened
Reading Comprehension B. Complete the sentences below. Choose no more than two words and/or a number from the text for each answer. 1. In the trolley moral dilemma you can push a .................. over the bridge onto the tracks to save the five. 2. Dr Costa and his colleagues interviewed .................. people. 3. In Dr Costa’s experiment, half of each group were accidentally given the dilemma in their .................. . 4. The language in which a dilemma is asked should make .................. to how it is answered. 5. Normal people dislike the act of killing which is using .................. system. 6. Dr Costa and his colleagues’ findings will have big ..................
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Advanced Reading with The Economist C. Answer the following questions. 1. What changes the reactions of the people? 2. What is Dr Costa’s hypothesis? 3. What areas do foreign speaking people perform better in? 4. What cognitive system is boosted by speaking a foreign language? 5. How many cognitive systems are identified by Daniel Kahneman during the decision making of the brain? 6. Who is Daniel Kahneman? 7. What may explain the different answers to a moral question when asked in two different languages? 8. What do the findings reveal about th East Asians? 9. Why does the author use trolleyology? Vocabulary Comprehension each word only once. quailed
globalization
conflict
cognitive
effortlessly
utilitarian
trolley
fared
canonical
moral
footbridge
reassuring
divert
counter-intuitive
dilemma
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
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D. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use
It is a common ............... Should you stay where you have friends and family, or take that good job in a far-away city? Although Chicago has ............... better than some cities, unemployment remains a problem. On the street, the veterans are cited for loitering, jaywalking, riding the ............... without paying. Consequently, is the coefficient of in the equation of the ............... form in which is basic? Liberal approaches to modernization are closely linked to economic ................ She ............... visibly at the sight of the prison walls. Canals ...............water from the Truckee River into the lake. It’s ............... to know that problems are rare. And the only reason why evolution would bind relationships together is if they served a ............... purpose. Cross the ............... and follow the steep zig-zag path up to the wall and the ladder stile. He dived ............... into the turquoise water In other ways the activities of the councils tend to ............... with regional policy and weaken its effects. All the evidence points to dreaming being a highly complex ............... activity.
Chapter 4: Understanding Inference
14. It is not easy to have an opinion on a ............... issue like the death penalty for murder. 15. These results seem ................
Discussion Discuss the following questions with a partner. 1. Talk about the moral dilemma in the text. what would your response be to it? 2. Was the result of the study morally disturbing? 3. What is the implication of the study? 4. Have you ever faced with the same moral dilemmas?
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
Chapter 5
CONTENT: Ideas Reinvented on TED
READING SKILL:
Arguing For and Against a Topic
Many reading passages present two sides of an argument –one argues for the topic; the other argues against it.
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“If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything – Sir Ken Robinson
Chapter 5: Arguing For and Against a Topic
Pre-Reading Questions
Discuss these questions in pairs.
1. Are you technophobe or technophile ? 2. How often do you surf the net? And why? 3. Have you ever watched any videos on-line? What websites do you visit for videos? 4. Have you ever visited or heard of TED.com? Vocabulary Warm-up
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions.
1. damp squib
a) someone who knows a lot about a particular subject, and gives advice to other people
2. guru
b) good at judging what people or situations are really like
3. backlash
c) a film, music group etc. that has become very popular but only among a particular group of people
4. middlebrow
d) something that is intended to be exciting, effective etc., but which is disappointing
5. pabulum
e) books, television programs etc. are of fairly good quality but are not very difficult to understand
6. cult
f) a strong negative reaction by a number of people against recent events, especially against political or social developments
7. shrewd
g) relating to a Christian church where people sing, shout, show their emotions, and encourage other people to join their church – used to show disapproval
8. happy-clappy
h) intellectual nourishment
Reading Skill
Arguing For and Against a Topic
Many reading passages present two sides of an argument –one argues for the topic; the other argues against it. Phrases such as “advocates of,” “proponents of” and “in favor of” signal that information that supports one side of the argument will be introduced. Phrases like “advocates against,” “critics of,” “septics of,” or “concerns about” signal that information against the topic is coming. Also, words and phrases like “argues that,” “question,” “however,” “though,” “in contrast,” and “ in spite of” signal that an opposite or different opinion is about to be introduced.1 1 Anderson, Neil J. (2008)
35
Advanced Reading with The Economist A. Scan the reading passage and complete the chart with information from the passage.
TED Talks
Criticisms
Admiration
1 [plural] EXPERIENCED people who do not have special knowledge or experience of something 2 a person or organization that is very large and powerful. This name comes from a story in the Bible. 3 a company, organization, or business
4 a punchy piece of writing or speech is short but very clear and effective 5 People who attend TED conferences 6 used to talk about people of a particular type 7 to make a series of things happen or start to exist
36
Chapter 5: Arguing For and Against a Topic
1 a group of people or things, especially one that is large or impressive 2 although 3 a large building for storing large quantities of goods 4 not well known and usually not very important 5 a US company that owns a chain of coffee shops selling good quality coffee. Many cities in the US and several other countries have a Starbucks.
6 It is a company that owns, operates, and franchise restaurants, principally in the United Kingdom. 7 A source of opinion; a critic: 8 completely unreasonable, stupid, or wrong SYN ridiculous 9 television programmes that deal with important subjects in a way that people can enjoy 10 a way of criticizing something such as a group of people or a system, in which you deliberately make them seem funny so that people will see their faults 11 A satire of TED talks 12 This idiom means the moment when a brand, design, or creative effort’s evolution declines.
37
Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 to make something less severe or extreme 2 hide your light under a bushel to not tell anyone that you are good at something 3 to become or to make something smaller in amount, size, or value 4 a large part or amount of something 5 disruptive innovation is an innovation that helps create a new market and value network, and eventually disrupts an existing market displacing an earlier technology. 6 to show your ability to do something, especially your skill or power 7 someone who takes part in an activity very often
38
8 one who has the care and superintendence of something 9 another person, especially a more famous person, who has the same name as someone 10 A system through which something is conducted, especially as a means of supply 11 Refined; cultured
Chapter 5: Arguing For and Against a Topic
1 a lot of activity, noise, and excitement 2 someone who is very interested in a particular activity or subject 3 to cut words or designs on metal, wood, glass etc 4 a phrase meaning ‘you shall’, used when talking to one person 5 to give opinions, excuses, reasons etc that you have used too many times and that do not seem sincere 6 the style of humour that a particular actor or comedian is typically known for 7 To interview
8 a social system in which people with a lot of knowledge about science, machines, and computers have a lot of power 9 An activist who attempts to make a religion more popular 10 something that prevents or saves someone or something from danger, loss, or failure 11 a group of people gathered together in a church 12 someone who has been sent to a foreign country to teach people about Christianity and persuade them to become Christians
39
Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 unusual or interesting enough to be easily noticed
2 to talk about how good or important something is and try to persuade other people about this
B. Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the passage? if the statement agrees with the views of the writer if the statement contradicts the views of the writer if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.
Reading Comprehension Yes No Not Given
1. TED conferences did not have a strong start. 2. The conference has started other businesses which are started to making money. 3. TED implies that all problems can be solved using computer and Internet. 4. Mr Anderson attended Vancouver University. 5. TED believes if you work hard toward your goal, with a little bit of chance you will certainly achieve it. 6. Mr Anderson was born in India. C. Answer the following questions. 1. Why the title “reinvenTED” is capitalized at the end with the last three letters? 2. What does TED stand for? 3. How often does TED hold conferences? 4. What is special about this years’ TED conference? How many people are
40
Chapter 5: Arguing For and Against a Topic going to be there? And when? 5. How many talks are there at TED’s archive? 6. How many times have videos of TED been watched? 7. What is TEDx conferences and what have they done? 8. What is TED the best example of? 9. Why did BBC reject TED? 10. According to the writer’s opinion, what is the purpose of TED’s fee products purpose? Vocabulary Comprehension
D. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use each word only once.
punchy
striking
namesake
pundit
revivalist
obscure
congregation
curator
spawned
To flex ...... muscles
trotted out
shrinks
Thou shalt
buzz
chunk
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
The ............... is that Jack is leaving. There is a ............... contrast between wealth and poverty. New technology has ............... new business opportunities. The role will allow her ...............her acting ................ Like his famous ..............., young Washington had a brave, adventurous spirit. The lines were written by an ............... English poet named Mordaunt The city continued to ............... The ............... knelt to pray. If you believe the fashion ..............., we’ll all be wearing pink this year. ............... not have a lie-in on Sunday morning? The rent takes a large ...............out of my monthly salary. He’s ............... of Prints at the Metropolitan. Start with a ............... sentence, get them reading. They attended a ............... meeting and became born-again Christians. Steve ............... the same old excuses.
41
Advanced Reading with The Economist Discussion
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
1. How are TED talks described by the author? 2. How important TED is in celebrity making? 3. Does the author believe the criticisms against TED are true? And if yes, to what extent? And what is his support? 4. What do we learn about Mr. Anderson from the text? 5. Why TED is considered idealist based on the view of the writer?
42
Chapter 6
CONTENT: Scientific Research
READING SKILL: Summarizing
“Information is not – Albert Einstein
Summarizing is to make a short statement giving only the main information and not the details of a plan, event, report etc .
43
Advanced Reading with The Economist Pre-Reading Questions 1. 2. 3. 4.
Discuss these questions in pairs.
What is your favorite science subject? Biology? Physics? Chemistry? Why? Do you think technological advances are always good? Do you trust everything scientists say? Which one is more accurate, scientists or scientific methods?
Vocabulary Warm-up 1. peer-review 2. anonymously 3. embryos
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions. a) to examine someone or something very carefully b) an animal or human that has not yet been born, and has just begun to develop c) unknown by name
4. scrutinize
d) to notice someone or something, especially when they are difficult to see or recognize
5. fiddle about with
e) a poisonous substance, especially one that is produced by bacteria and causes a particular disease
6. toxin
f) to make small unnecessary changes to something – used to show disapproval SYN mess around with
7. spot
g) made dirty by a dangerous substance or bacteria
8. contaminated
h) a process by which something proposed (as for research or publication) is evaluated by a group of experts in the appropriate field
A. Read the passage quickly and answer the following questions.
1. 2. 3. 7.
44
What is the passage about? What makes the recent scientific results look shaky? What are the two questioned publications? What is the main idea of inflation theory?
Chapter 6: Summarizing
WHEN SCIENCE GETS IT WRONG
1 careful consideration or discussion of something 2 to choose someone for a position or a job 3 an area of activity, interest, or knowledge, especially one that a particular person, organization etc. deals with 4 an event, especially one that is unusual, important, or violent
5 Pluripotent stem cells are often termed ‘true’ stem cells because they have the potential to differentiate into almost any cell in the body. 6 a machine, system etc. that existed before another one in a process of development 7 To carefully remove a substance from something which contains it, using a machine, chemical process etc.
45
Advanced Reading with The Economist
Shrinking BICEPs
1 seeming to be false, dishonest, or not to be trusted 2 needing to be done very carefully, while paying attention to small details 3 To suddenly start paying attention to someone, because they have done something surprising or impressive. 4 to press something firmly together with your fingers or hand 5 repeating the actual words that were spoken or written
46
6 to work skilfully with information, systems etc. to achieve the result that you want 7 done deliberately and usually intended to cause harm 8 bad or dishonest behavior by someone in a position of authority or trust 9 if you retract something that you said or agreed, you say that you did not mean it 10 the science of the origin and structure of the universe, especially as studied in astronomy 11 To officially tell people about something, especially about a plan or a decision
Chapter 6: Summarizing
1 Energy in the form of heat or light that is sent out as waves that you cannot see 2 something that is closely related to an event, person, or style 3 existing at the beginning of time or the beginning of the Earth 4 related to or resulting from the force of gravity 5 a shape or pattern that looks like a wave 6 a continuing increase in prices, or the rate at which prices increase 7 to have a particular opinion or belief 8 if you undergo a change, an unpleasant experience etc, it happens to you or is done to you 9 difficult to solve
10 to make people say or do something as a reaction 11 if someone or something surfaces, they suddenly appear somewhere, especially after being gone or hidden for a long time 12 Carefully ant thoroughly 13 to clean the inside of a place thoroughly 14 the person who is guilty of a crime or doing something wrong 15 happening or existing between the stars 16 to look for someone or something very carefully 17 an achievement that is greatly admired or respected, or makes you very proud 18 if a process culminates in or with a particular event, it ends with that event
47
Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 to claim to be or do something, even if this is not true 2 behavior, especially in business, that is dishonest but not illegal 3 to officially criticize someone for something they have done wrong 4 a solid achievement or solid work is of real, practical, and continuing value 5 expressing great happiness or admiration – used especially in news reports
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6 To produce problems, ideas, results etc. 7 if something happens behind closed doors, it happens in private and the public are not allowed in 8 a place or situation where you are separated from the difficulties of ordinary life and so are unable to understand them, used especially to describe a college or university
Chapter 6: Summarizing
Summarizing
Reading Skill
Summarizing a long reading or lecture is a way of taking notes. It can help you remember the most of important parts of what you read or heard. When you summarize, you paraphrase the main points. Using your own words makes you think about what you have just learned. Include only the most important ideas in a summary. Don’t include small details1. 1 Lnda Lee &Jean Bernard, (2011)
Reading Comprehension B. Complete the summary with the list of words A-I below. Writ the correct letter A-I in the gaps.
Two revealing incidents
In science, peer review is a process which makes sure there is no 1............... with the study. There are, however, some problems in the process. 2............... proved to be very useful in the peer reviewing the published papers. This can be seen in two recent cases: one in 3............... and the other in 4................ The first case was about pluripotent stem cells which was published in 5................ . In a couple of papers Haruko Obokata, 6................ and her team, claimed to have created pluripotent cells by a much simpler process compared to its 7................ . The results of these papers are found to be suspicious when some tried to repeat the experiment and others found inaccuracies, manipulation, even 8................ in the study. These discussions all went on-line and finally made Obokata apologize for misconduct. The second case happened in cosmology when John Kovac and his team publicly announced to have observed the 9................ of early waves in space formed right after the Big Bang. This observation was very 10................ as it supported the inflation theory. When the data was made public by the team, serious 11................ were found in the study by researchers from New York University, Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study. These two cases show that internet could bring about good results with its power of reviewing after 12................ .
49
Advanced Reading with The Economist
traces
A
H Nature
B plagiarism
I Internet
C cosmology
K
D predecessors
J publication
E biology
L significant
F
M flaws
Japanese scientist
peer review
G mistake C. Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Check () the correct colum: True (T) if the statement agrees with the information False (F) if the statement contradicts the information Not Given (NG) if there is no information on this T a) Peer review is supposed to recognize the mistakes. b) Scientists know that who reviews their work. c) All of the body cells are generated from pluripotent cells.. d) Other scientists trying to repeat Dr Obokata’s method, were successful. e) Bokata’s co-workers were divided on to retract their papers formally. f) There are direct evidence for the approve of inflation theory. g) A number of teams are searching for primordial waves. h) The alleged gravitational waves may be stronger than the team’s first claim.(
50
i)
Like Dr Obokata, Dr Kovac was criticized by everybody for his honesty.
j)
Paul Knoepfler, is a biologist at the University of California
F
NG
Chapter 6: Summarizing D. Answer the following questions. 1. What is the main role of peer review? 2. How can everybody call herself peer and criticize scientific results? 3. When the extraction of pluripotent cells from embryos is dodgy? 4 How did Dr Haruko Obokata and her team claim to be able to produce pluripotent cells? 5. What did happen to Dr Bokata on June 4th? 6. Why the existence of primordial waves was important? 7. What was the probable problem with Antarctic telescope? Vocabulary Comprehension E. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use each word only once. shaky
finicky
scrubbed
rapturous
misconduct
predecessor
verbatim
culminated
interstellar
primordial
dodgy
gravitational
purported
inflation
squeezed
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
............... is now at over 16% One girl thought the men looked ................ But most agreed, too, that the foundations of the show were ............... I get really ............... and picky. The new BMW has a more powerful engine than its ................ The rooms are all ............... out once a week. He was fired for serious ................ The second main source of internal energy is heat from ............... separation. Their stories were taped and transcribed ................ A series of events for teachers and students will ............... in a Shakespeare festival next year. The document is ............... to be 300 years old. He was given a ............... welcome. I always enjoy the restful times of ............... travel. The Blue Mountains like a photograph of ............... ocean. She smiled as he ............... her hand
51
Advanced Reading with The Economist Discussion Discuss the following questions with a partner. 1. What makes the recent scientific results look shaky? 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
52
What was the importance of publication of the Nature’s papers? What does research misconduct mean? What is the main message of the text? Have you ever lost trust in science? Discuss Regan’s statement. “Trust, but verify”
Chapter 7
CONTENT: University degree return
READING SKILL: Identifying Fact Versus Opinion A fact is something that can be checked and proven. An opinion is one person’s personal belief or feeling about something.
“The value of a college education is not the learning of many facts but the training of the mind to – Albert Einstein
53
Advanced Reading with The Economist Pre-Reading Questions
Discuss these questions in pairs.
1. Which is more important, skills learned by experience or degrees earned in universities? Why? 2. Should education be free? 3. What are some important factors in determining which college to attend? 4. Do you think that most parents influence what university their children will attend?
Vocabulary Warm-up
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions.
1. worse off
a) Showing the ability to make good judgments, especially about art, music, style
2. nil
b) to produce a result, answer, or piece of information
3. yield
c) In the proper or expected way
4. return
d) to produce large quantities of something, especially without caring about quality
5. duly
e) the amount of profit that you get from something:
6. roughly 7. discern
f) when you have less money
8. churn out
h) not exactly, approximately
Reading Skill
g) nothing
Identifying Fact Versus Opinion
A fact is something that can be checked and proven. An opinion is one person’s personal belief or feeling about something. In writing, opinions are often expressed using words and phrases like “in my opinion,” a”believe,” and “should,” or speculative language such as “could,” “may,” and “might”. being able to distinguish between fact and opinion is important reading skill, as much of what we read can be a mixture of both. Using this skill can help you to better understand a reading, become a more critical reader, and put the information you have read to good use.1
1 Anderson, Neil J. (2008)
54
Chapter 7: Identifying Fact Versus Opinion
A. Read each of the following statements carefully. Scan through the reading passage and decide if each statement is Fact (F) or Opinion (O). Check () the correct colum. F
O
a) In rich countries, educated have better high paying opportunities.. b) Ms Crivellaro believes that “European labor markets that they became “saturated ” with new graduates”. c) Previous generations of American workers are much better educated than their peers elsewhere in the rich world d) In 2011, the OECD says, American graduates earned 77% more a year than those who completed secondary school e) Past generation pay rise was because of the rising premium on a college education. f) Investing in a university degree may still look like a gamble. g) Between 1993 and 2012, loans taken by students has increased dramatically. h) Demand for engineers seems endless.
FREE EXCHANGE
1 likely to develop into a particular type of person or thing in the future
55
Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 Money that is paid by a government or organization to make prices lower, reduce the cost of producing goods etc. 2 the opinion that most people consider to be normal and right, but that is sometimes shown to be wrong 3 pay a lot of money 4 the group of European countries that use the euro as a standard unit of money 5 if a long statement, argument etc. boils down to a single statement, that statement is the main point or cause. 6 the relationship between the quantity of goods for sale and the quantity of goods that people want to buy, especially the way it influences prices
56
7 an additional amount of money, above a standard rate or amount 8 to become firm, steady, or unchanging, or to make something firm or steady 9 to try to achieve or get something 10 To move jerkily 11 in a regular or steady way 12 to gradually disappear
Chapter 7: Identifying Fact Versus Opinion
1 or are responsible for 2 To improve and reach the same standard as other people in your class, group etc. 3 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 4 not worthy of notice 5 the edge of an area 6 the people looking for work and the jobs that are available at that time 7 to put a lot of something into a particular place, especially so that you could not add any more 8 to guess a number or amount, without calculating it exactly
9 A discount is a reduction. A discount in value means a reduction in value 10 Present value describes how much a future sum of money is worth today 11 In business, what remains after subtracting all the costs. 12 the money you pay for being taught
57
Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 likely to have been caused by something 2 an action or plan that involves a risk but that you hope will succeed 3 a continuing increase in prices, or the rate at which prices increase 4 a job or activity that is lucrative lets you earn a lot of money 5 if something you do pays off, it is successful or has a good result 6 if a result hinges on something, it depends on it completely 7 if an organization or someone in an official position issues something such as documents or equipment, they give these things to people who need them
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8 big and very impressive 9 to become or make something become smaller or less 10 Take something away completely.
Chapter 7: Identifying Fact Versus Opinion
1 to make something flat and smooth 2 someone’s education, achievements, experience etc. that prove they have the ability to do something 3 an enterprise, idea, person, or thing that is a source of wealth
4 an amount of money that you get unexpectedly 5 to put on a hat, coat 6 It is a graduation outfit, which dates back hundreds of years, was originally conceived as a practical ensemble rather than a symbolic one.
Reading Comprehension B. read each question and then scan the text to find the correct answers among the options. 1. What is the value of a degree dependent on? A. The level of your studies B. The subject of your studies C. The amount of market needs and availability of educated employee 2. Why did the big premium graduates earned in the early 20th century vanish in America? A. Because after war businesses went through economic crisis. B. Because universities produced a lot of graduates. C. Because the demand for educated workers decreased. 3. What will happen if graduates are from low ranking institutions A. Their return will be less than their peers from better institutes. B. They wouldn’t be accepted in companies. C. Their education would be cheaper. C. Answer the following questions. 1. What is the conventional wisdom’s point of view on university degrees? 2. How much is the unemployment rate in America and Euro zone for graduates? 3. What does college wage premium mean? 4. How does OECD define older American workers?
59
Advanced Reading with The Economist 5. How college wage premium was kept flat in Europe? 6. According to the OECD how much did American graduates earn in 2011? 7. What was the main cause of past generation’s rise in inequality within the American labor force? 8. How did the share of American graduates taking out student loans change between 1993 and 2012? 9. How much is the return bachelor’s degree for grand places? 10. How much was the premium earned by postgraduates relative to college graduates in 1963? Vocabulary Comprehension
subsidy
churning out
reckon
Bounce around
credentials
gamble
pay handsomely
premiums
boils down
donned
occur
Level off
hinges on
melt away
diminish
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
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D. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use each word only once.
Customers are willing to ............... for anti-ageing cosmetic products. A third of accidental deaths ............... in the home. It was a big ............... for her to leave the band and go solo. But the women of Zurich ............... armor, marched to the Linden of and manned the battlements. Her determination to take revenge slowly ............... . And for two days officials from the General Council discussed with the Government the possibility of extending the ............... These drugs ............... blood flow to the brain. Unfortunately, when you write, your thoughts ............... the page in a similar fashion. His political future ............... the outcome of this election. Her academic ............... include an MA and a PhD. We ............... that sitting in traffic jams costs us around $9 billion a year in lost output. She’s been ............... novels for 20 years. It ............... to a question of priorities. Cover with a layer of sand and ............... it ............... Neither can they raise ............... if an existing customer takes a test which proves to be positive.
Chapter 7: Identifying Fact Versus Opinion
Discussion
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
1. What is the author’s idea about making an investment in higher education? 2. What will happen if the number of university graduates grows faster than that of less educated? 3. Which factors are crucial in making the degree lucrative? 4. Do you think we still have a good reason to go to university? 5. What does education mean to you?
61
Advanced Reading with The Economist
Chapter 8
CONTENT:
Assisted Suicide
READING SKILL: Identifying Main and Supporting Ideas
Paragraphs often use supporting ideas to give more information about the main idea of a paragraph. Supporting ideas usually follow the main idea.
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“There is a certain right by which we may deprive a man of life, but none which we may deprive him of – Friedrich Nietzsche
Chapter 8: Identifying Main Ideas
Pre-Reading Questions 1. 2. 3. 4.
Discuss these questions in pairs.
What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘euthanasia’? Do you understand why people choose euthanasia to end their life? Is there any difference between euthanasia and suicide? Do governments have the right to keep suffering people alive?
Vocabulary Warm-up 1. succumb
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions. a) a very small number of people or things
2. vulnerable
b) a serious illness that affects your lungs and makes it difficult for you to breathe
3. absolute
c) something difficult or worrying that you are responsible for
4. burden
d) when a doctor or someone else helps a person who is very ill to kill themselves in order to end their suffering
5. blinking
e) a feeling that you have no hope at all
6. despair
f) to stop opposing someone or something that is stronger than you, and allow them to take control
7. latter
g) to shut and open your eyes quickly
8. Assisted suicide
h) someone who can be easily harmed or hurt
9. pneumonia
i) something that is considered to be true or right in all situations
10. handful
j) being the second of two people or things, or the last in a list just mentioned
Reading Skill
Identifying Main Ideas
In a typical piece of writing, the author expresses two or three main ideas, general messages, about a topic. When you are looking for the main ideas in a piece of writing, consider the author’s purpose. If the author wants to express an opinion or examine multiple sides of an issue, the main ideas will be the general arguments about the issue.1 1 Lee & Bernard (2011)
63
Advanced Reading with The Economist A. Scan the reading passage and complete the chart with information from the passage.
For
Easeful death
Against
Assisted Suicide
1 if someone has a stroke, an artery (=tube carrying blood) in their brain suddenly bursts or becomes blocked, so that they may die or be unable to use some muscles
64
2 It is a condition in which a patient is aware but cannot move or communicate verbally due to complete paralysis of nearly all voluntary muscles in the body except for the eyes
Chapter 8: Identifying Main Ideas
1 if a situation or feeling imprisons people, it restricts what they can do 2 relating to the body, rather than to the mind, feelings, or spirit 3 a very difficult, unpleasant, or frightening experience or situation 4 to be based on a particular idea or set of facts 5 Determination of one’s own fate or course of action without compulsion; free will. 6 the process of finding out what people think about something by asking many people the same question, or the record of the result
7 to officially accept a law or proposal, especially by voting 8 to think about something that you might do in the future 9 a written proposal for a new law, that is brought to a parliament so that it can be discussed 10 to feel or say that you oppose or disapprove of something 11 a formal and very serious promise 12 someone who disagrees with a plan, idea, or system and wants to try to stop or change it
65
Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 to make something such as time, money, or workers available for someone, especially when this is difficult for you to do 2 someone who looks after an old or ill person at home 3 to put pressure on someone in order to make them do what you want 4 used to talk about a process or habit that is difficult to stop and which will develop into something extremely bad 5 not serious, important, or valuable 6 an argument etc. that makes you feel certain that something is true or that you must do something about it 7 when people of many different races, religions, and political beliefs live together in the same society, or the belief that this can happen successfully 8 to force someone to have the same ideas, beliefs etc. as you 9 a genuine feeling, desire etc. is one that you really feel, not one you pretend to feel
66
10 the promise made by doctors that they will obey the principles of the medical profession 11 to start a company, organization, committee 12 a robust system, organization etc. is strong and not likely to have problems 13 to continue to do something that has already been planned or started 14 to reduce the amount of limit you put on something 15 a situation in which it is very difficult to decide what to do, because all the choices seem equally good or equally bad 16 the limit of what is acceptable or thought to be possible
Chapter 8: Identifying Main Ideas
1 to make or create 2 to develop and change gradually over a long period of time 3 a terminal illness cannot be cured, and causes death 4 the quality of including a lot of different people, things, or ideas 5 making people have strong feelings 6 causing a lot of argument and disagreement between people 7 a custom that says you must avoid a particular activity or subject, either because it is considered offensive or because your religion does not allow it
8 to give someone a medicine or medical treatment 9 causing death, or able to cause death 10 An event that is imminent, especially an unpleasant one, will happen very soon.
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Reading Comprehension B. Reading Passage has eight paragraphs, 1-8. Which paragraph contains the following information? A. Conditions under which assisted suicide would be applicable in the new bill B. Arguments against the main topic C. Describes the role politicians should take on this issue D. Arguments in favor of the main topic E. Setting the scene for presenting the topic
C. Answer the following questions. 1. What do people prefer in western world? 2. What should be the role of law facing with will of people based on the text? 3. What happened to Tony Nicklinson? 4. What kind of disease is locked-in syndrome? 5. What is the current Britain law regarding assisted suicide? 6. What can be done in the case of vulnerable people regarding assisted suicide? 7. Why do many doctors object to assisted suicide? 8. What are the main reasons for people’s disagreement on assisted suicide? 9. What can be done in the case of vulnerable people in relation to assisted suicide? 10. What did Netherlands and Belgium do about assisted suicide?
68
Chapter 8: Identifying Main Ideas
Vocabulary Comprehension D. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use each word only once. administered
dilemma
bully
contemplated
stroke
terminal
slippery slope
breadth
lethal
proceed
contentious
bill
corporeal
rest on
robust
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.
Many women are faced with the ............... of choosing between work and family commitments Painkillers were ............... to the boy. Ideally, someone with a ............... illness should at least have the right to work part-time as long as they are able. Animal welfare did not become a ............... issue until the late 1970s The formerly ............... economy has begun to weaken The job wasn’t giving him the ............... of experience he wanted He is on the ............... to a life of crime. The House of Representatives passed a new gun-control ............... He had even ............... suicide Don’t let them ............... you into working on Saturdays. The government was determined to ............... with the election The case against my client ............... circumstantial evidence And then there is our own body, our own ............... instrument, which we’re awfully proud of now I looked after my father after he had a ............... .
Discussion Discuss the following questions with a partner. 1. What is the condition required to do assisted suicide in Britain? 2. 3. 4. 5.
What is the reaction of societies when they face with dilemmas? Do you know any famous case of euthanasia? Do you agree with euthanasia? Discuss your views. The Ancient Greek for euthanasia is “good death”. what do you think of this meaning?
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Chapter 9
Advanced Reading with The Economist
Recreational drug use
READING SKILL: Identifying Meaning from context When reading, you will often encounter words you don’t know . Paying attention to the context could help you guess the correct meaning.
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“Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, – Carl G. Jung
Chapter 9: Identifying Meaning from context
Pre-Reading Questions
Discuss these questions in pairs.
1. Do you think marijuana should be legal or illegal? Support your opinion with facts. 2. Do you think tobacco companies would like to sell marijuana? 3. Why do you think that tobacco is a legal drug? 4. Is there any difference between “soft” drugs such as marijuana and “hard” drugs like crack, heroin, cocaine etc? 5. Is ecstasy a soft or a hard drug? 6. Should there be punishments for using drugs? 7. Are some people more easily addicted to drugs than others? Vocabulary Warm-up
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions.
1. high
a) a product or service that does not exist, so that there is an opportunity to develop that product or service and sell it
2. gap in the market
b) a plant that has brightly colored, usually red, flowers and small black seeds
3. veterinary
c) a drug (as cocaine, marijuana, or methamphetamine) used without medical justification for its psychoactive effects often in the belief that occasional use of such a substance is not habit-forming or addictive
4. poppy
d) to add a small amount of something
5. crack down
e) a feeling of pleasure or excitement produced by some drugs
6. Recreational drug
f) something that attracts people, or the quality of being able to do this
7. lace
g) to become more strict in dealing with a problem and punishing the people involved
8. lure
h) relating to the medical care and treatment of sick animals
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Reading Skill
Identifying Meaning from context
You can guess the meaning of important but unfamiliar words in a reading passage by using the following strategy: 1 Think about how the new word is related to the topic of what you are reading about. 2. Identify which part of speech the new word is by looking at how it fits with the other words in the sentence. 3. Look at how the word relates to the rest of information in the paragraph surrounding it. 4. Use your knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and word roots to identify the basic meaning of the word.
A. Read and listen to the following text, and check if the following statements are True (T), False (F), or Not Given (NG)
NG 1. New drugs are replacing the traditional ones. 2. Glow is a new movie by Ned Beauman. 3. Cannabinoids produce stronger response than marijuana. 4. Between 2010 and 2012 seizures of older synthetic amphetamine has increased dramatically.
5. Heroin addiction is diminishing because of its accessibility. 6. Cocaine has been sold with higher quality. 7. Ketamine is mainly used in surgical procedures for animals. 8. Most drug takers prefer traditional drugs.
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T
F
Chapter 9: Identifying Meaning from context
Recreational drug use
1 an illegal drug that makes you very active SYN amphetamine 2 Monosodium glutamate, also known as sodium glutamate, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid 3 Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by feelings of anxiety and fear 4 to succeed in recording, showing, or describing a situation or feeling, using words or pictures 5 mood-altering drugs or substances affect your mind and change the way you think or feel 6 an official book giving information about medicines 7 produced by combining different artificial substances, rather than being naturally produced
8 psychoactive drugs have an effect on your mind 9 to behave or operate in exactly the same way as something or someone else
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 a drug or substance that makes you feel more active and full of energy 2 when the police or government officers take away illegal goods such as drugs or guns 3 a drug that gives you a feeling of excitement and a lot of energy 4 an illegal drug that gives a feeling of energy 5 the illegal drug methamphetamine 6 to carry out a particular activity or process, especially in order to get information or prove facts 7 involving a big increase or decrease SYN sharp 8 the business of selling goods in large quantities at low prices to other businesses, rather than to the general public 9 to completely get rid of something such as a disease or a social problem 10 to strictly limit the amount of money that is available to a company or organization
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11 to increase or decrease an amount, value, or number 12 The strategy to reduce internal parasites. 13 18 a quantity of food, medicine etc that is produced or prepared at the same time 14 a serious disease affecting cattle and sheep, which can affect humans 15 a range of food, especially of a particular type 16 to find or borrow something so that you can use it 17 a drug used for making someone feel less anxious
Chapter 9: Identifying Meaning from context
1 an illegal drug that is usually smoked SYN marijuana 2 someone who buys and sells a particular product, especially an expensive one 3 to put liquid, especially a drug, into someone’s body by using a special needle 4 insincerely 5 things that are for sale, usually not in a shop
6 vacuum-packed food is in a container from which most of the air has been removed, so that the food will stay fresh for longer 7 when one group, person, or thing is separate from others 8 to be very popular or fashionable
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Old war, new fronts4
1 To supply with necessities or nourishment 2 The practice of repeatedly getting rid of something, only to have more of that thing appear. For example, deleting spammers’ e-mail accounts, closing pop-up windows in a web browser, etc. 3 an illegal drug that gives a feeling of happiness and energy. Ecstasy is especially used by people who go out to dance at clubs and parties
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4 the area where fighting happens in a war 5 to change something or to make it change so that there is more variety 6 to do something wrong or illegal 7 a strong desire to have or achieve something
Chapter 9: Identifying Meaning from context
Reading Comprehension
B. Answer the following questions.
1. What does the first scene of the book at the beginig of the text imply? 2. What are replacing traditional drugs? 3. What does the latest report of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime say? 4. Why has cocaine price risen sharply over the past decade? 5. What kind of cocaine is used in Europe nowadays? 6. How do the young feel about Ketamine in Argentina? 7. How is New Zealand’s government treating new drugs? 8. How was the Czech Republic trend regarding drug addiction in the past? Vocabulary Comprehension
C. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use each word only once.
mood-altering substances
capture
stimulant
diversified
isolation
psychoactive
dealer
mimics
push
aspirations
wares synthetic rage sustain seizure 1. These photographs .............. the essence of working-class life at the turn of the century. 2. It is not a direct .............. , like a shot of adrenaline 3. User requirements have .............. over the years. 4. There is evidence that, in the kivas at least, .............. plants may have been ingested. 5. The drug .............. the action of the body’s own chemicals. 6. That .............. is now a stockbroker. 7. Trees are a renewable resource that when managed properly can .............. our needs indefinitely. 8. Slow sales have .............. down orders. 9. It is through other black kids that some .............. are fostered and others snuffed out by stories of racialism. 10. DiCaprio became all the .............. after starring in the film ‘Titanic’. 11. The judge ordered .............. of his assets totalling £36,200 or Fraser would serve a further 18 months in jail. 12. Scarlet fever victims had to go to the .............. hospital. 13. It is this disorder of the human spirit that leads the sufferer to seek ..............or behaviors. 14. Many old herbal remedies have disappeared and been replaced by .............. drugs. 15. Craftspeople selling their ..............
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Discussion
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
1. What are the main reasons for high price of drugs? 2. 3. 4. 5.
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Do you think the author agrees with the legalization of drugs? What should be the government role in controlling drug abuse? How should we behave with the addicted? Why does the author say “not all drug-taking is harmful, but trying to stop
it has proved extremely so.”?
Chapter 10
CONTENT:
USA Presidential Power
READING SKILL: Paraphrasing Paraphrasing is saying the same thing with different words. You paraphrase when you take notes.
“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to – Thomas Jefferson
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Pre-Reading Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Can you name the President of the United States? What is the minimum voting age in your country? What different types of governments are there? Is voting an important responsibility of a citizen? Have your political views changed much during your lifetime? What are the main political parties in your country? What politicians represent you in local and national government? How are government officials chosen in your country? What do you think of American politics?
Vocabulary Warm-up
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions.
1. pollinate
a) to speak to someone severely about something they have done wrong
2. overturn
b) when you imagine or pretend that something is real or true
3. make-believe
c) to give a flower or plant pollen so that it can produce seeds
4. unconstitutionally
d) shared or made by every member of a group or society
5. rebuke
e) extremely important and necessary for something to succeed or exist
6. omnipotent
f) to change a decision or result so that it becomes the opposite of what it was before
7. vital 8. collective
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Discuss these questions in pairs.
g) able to do everything h) not allowed by the constitution (=set of rules or principles by which a country or organization is governed)
Chapter 10: Paraphrasing
Reading Skill
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing is saying the same thing with different words. You paraphrase when you take notes. You also paraphrase when you write summaries and research papers. When you paraphrase a sentence, follow these steps: 1. Read the original sentence until you clearly understand the meaning. 2. Without looking at the original , write a paraphrase. 3. Compare your paraphrase to the original. Make sure that your paraphrase has the same meaning as the original. You may have to use some of the same words as the original, but be careful not to use all the same words or the same grammatical structure. 4. Make revisions to your paraphrase as necessary to adjust the meaning, words, or structure. When you paraphrase, you may have to change the pronouns, or other parts of speech. A. Read the first two paragraphs in the passage quickly and read the sentences from it and write a paraphrase for each of them. Your paraphrase must be concise and to the point. 1. For anyone who doubts that America is the land of the free, the ability of the Supreme Court to turn a question posed by a Pepsi distributor into a ruling that restricts presidential power ought to be reassuring. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2. That the decision was unanimous must have stung the constitutional law professor in the White House as much as it delighted Republicans. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3. Bees are important, but Mr. Obama would not be so interested in apiarian workers if he were able to effect more change for the human sort. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 the most important court of law in some countries or some states of the US 2 to ask a question, especially one that needs to be carefully thought about 3 National Labor Relations Board 4 versus 5 not allowed by the constitution (=set of rules or principles by which a country or organization is governed) 6 to choose someone for a position or a job 7 a group of people in a company or other organization who make the rules and important decisions 8 relating to the central government of a country such as the US, rather than the government of one of its states 9 a formal meeting or group of meetings, especially of a law court or parliament 10 a unanimous decision, vote, agreement etc. is one in which all the people involved agree
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11 if you are stung by a remark, it makes you feel upset 12 to give someone great satisfaction and enjoyment 13 a member or supporter of the Republican Party in the US → Democrat 14 to make a legal claim against someone, especially for money, because they have harmed you in some way 15 to react to something with too much emotion, or by doing something that is unnecessary
Chapter 10: Paraphrasing
1 to make something happen or force someone to do something 2 a king or queen 3 a ruler who has complete power and uses it in a cruel and unfair way 4 to say that something is true or that someone has done something wrong, although it has not been proved 5 Erratic in behavior or degree of unpredictability 6 an idea, belief, or opinion 7 a book in which a business, bank etc. records how much money it receives and spends 8 if you are underwhelmed by something, you do not think it is impressive – used humorously 9 something successful or impressive that is achieved after a lot of effort and hard work
10 a spurious statement, argument etc. is not based on facts or good thinking and is likely to be incorrect 11 having wings 12 money that the government receives from tax 13 of or relating to beekeeping or bees 14 a lot of something 15 to be in a position of authority so that you can give orders and make decisions 16 tale 17 The collection of memories shared by a common culture. 18 affecting or relating to the best or most suitable people or things from a larger group
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 Outstanding in size, degree, or quality 2 used when you admit that something is true SYN admittedly 3 fierce emotions are very strong and often angry 4 an attempt to persuade someone to do something that they do not want to do 5 happening or done only once, not as part of a regular series 6 a private house where you pay to sleep and eat SYN guesthouse 7 to destroy a building or part of a building 8 ability to understand a situation only after it has happened
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9 when something develops in a very successful way 10 help that is provided for people who have personal or social problems 11 the possibility that something will happen 12 to give someone information or ideas over a period time 13 to make a formal, usually public, promise that you will do something 14 relating to the job of managing a business or organization and making decisions 15 an official order or decision, especially one made by the ruler of a country: 16 someone who takes a job or position previously held by someone else
Chapter 10: Paraphrasing
1 to complete or finish something successfully, in spite of difficulties 2 o plan or invent a new way of doing something 3 a particular quality which people have 4 to avoid obeying a rule, system, or someone in an official position 5 to cause a reaction or feeling, especially a sudden one 6 someone who has been officially suggested for an important position, duty, or prize
7 to avoid something that is difficult or causes problems for you 8 time during the day or year when no work is done, especially in parliament, law courts etc. 9 one of the two parts of a parliament or of the US Congress. For example, in Britain the upper chamber is the House of Lords and the lower chamber is the House of Commons 10 if a meeting, parliament, law court etc adjourns, or if the person in charge adjourns it, it stops for a short time 11 to prevent someone from doing what they are trying to do
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 a problem or complaint that a person or organization brings to a court of law to be settled
Reading Comprehension
2 to gradually disappear
B. Answer the following questions.
1. What is the intention of the author by mentioning the story of Pepsi distributor? 2. Why did the court sentence Barak Obama to acting unconstitutionally? 3. What was the reaction of different groups in white house to court’s decision on June 26th? 4. Who is John Boehner? 5. What did John Boehner suggest for Mr. Obama’s decision? 6. How do opponents of Obama define his character? 7. How much was the presidential power from 1930 to 1960? 8. How did Johnson’s own party react when he pushed his great civil-rights reforms? 9. What was the core of Obama’s speech on July 1st? 10. What does executive actions mean to Obama? Vocabulary Comprehension each word only once.
C. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use
tyrants
decree
thwart
fade
session
hindsight
get around
heaps
thumped
lawsuit
bypass recess one-off call the shots granted 1. ....................., the music is not perfect, but the flaws are outweighed by the sheer joy of the piece. 2. The children have .....................of energy.
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Chapter 10: Paraphrasing 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
With ....................., I should have seen the warning signs. The story has received ..................... attention in the press. The Emperor issued the ..................... repealing martial law. Francis ..................... his manager and wrote straight to the director. Fierce opposition ...................... the government’s plans. Bush got a significant boost in the final days before the ..................... from two votes in the House of Representatives. A Pennsylvania state appeals court also has said a state airbag ..................... can proceed despite federal safety rules. Hopes of a peace settlement are beginning to ...................... She ..................... the table with her fist. It was a job in which she was able to ...................... Board members met in closed ...................... It’s yours for a ..................... payment of only £200. The country had long been ruled by .....................
Discussion
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
1. How does Obama define his power? 2. 3. 4. 5.
What will cause a more limited form of government? Do you believe in all powerful government or power limited one? How should governments powers should be checked? Why do you think the author says “Unfortunately the idea of the omnipotent president is harder to kill.”?
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Chapter 11
Advanced Reading with The Economist
Gender Differences READING SKILL:
“One is not born, but
Discovering Topics of paragraphs
– Simone de Beauvoir
Knowing th topic of a paragraph is necessary in order to comprehend what you read.
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Chapter 11: Discovering Topics of paragraphs
Pre-Reading Questions
Discuss these questions in pairs.
1. Are you happy being the gender you are? 2. Are men and women very different? 3. What do you think people study in gender studies classes? 4. Do you think men and women have different brains? 5. Are there different laws in your country depending on your gender? 6. Do men and women live in different cultures? 7. Is it OK for boys to play with girls’ toys and vice versa? 8. Why do you think men are more aggressive than women? 9. Are there differences in the ways men and women communicate? 10. Are gender roles changing in your country?
Vocabulary Warm-up
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions.
1. multitask
a) related to the process of knowing, understanding, and learning something
2. amalgam 3. cognitive 4. mortality 5. stereotype
b) to do several things at the same time
c) a belief or idea of what a particular type of person or thing is like d) a mixture of different things e) the number of deaths during a particular period of time among a particular type or group of people
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Reading Skill
Discovering Topics of paragraphs
When you read a paragraph you should always ask yourself, “What is this about?” That question will lead you to the topic of the paragraph. When deciding on the topic of each paragraph, the topic should not be too specific- that is, it should cover the whole paragraph and not just a part of it. And the topic should not be too general - that is, it should cover only the sentences in the paragraph and not other possible ideas and sentences. Like a piece of clothing, the topic needs to fit the paragraph just right.
A. Reading Passage has eleven paragraphs, 1-11. Match the following topics to the paragraphs.
A. Introducing Criteria for the cognitive performance in the experiment........... B. Procedures of an experiments conducted by MS Weber........... C. Recent findings on factors in cognitive performance of women........... D. The possible reasons for different cognitive styles between men and women ........... E. Previous findings about different brain structures........... F. possible effect of the roles a society assign to the genders on the cognitive performances
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Chapter 11: Discovering Topics of paragraphs
Gender differences
1 someone who illegally enters a building or area, usually in order to steal something 2 to be very likely to do or feel a particular thing. 3 to bravely accept or deal with a painful, difficult, or upsetting situation SYN stand: 4 a difference between two or more things, especially an unfair one 5 a place where young children are taken care of during the day while their parents are at work
6 connect 7 to guess about the possible causes or effects of something, without knowing all the facts or details
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 a set of actions for achieving something in the future, especially a set of actions that has been considered carefully 2 To expose to something 3 a standard by which the level of something can be judged or measured 4 the total value of all goods and services produced in a country, in one year, except for income received from abroad 5 the length of time that a person or animal is expected to live
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6 an episodic story or memory is one in which a lot of different events happen that do not follow on from each other 7 the ability to do calculations and understand simple mathematics 8 ingrained attitudes or behavior are firmly established and therefore difficult to change
Chapter 11: Discovering Topics of paragraphs
.
1 unpleasantly clear and impossible to avoid 2 very unusual or surprising
3 up to this time
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Reading Comprehension
B. Answer the following questions.
1. . What is the possible explanation for men and women having different way of thinking? 2. What is the function of the cerebrum? 3. What does cognitive performance of women benefit from according to Daniela Weber? 4. What does RDI stand for? 5. What kind of memory is called episodic? 6. Which gender is better in numeracy performance? 7. Which group performed well in category fluency? 8. How does the brain remember unconnected words? 9. What was the surprising discovery of the test? 10. What is the relationship between development of a country, and women’s cognitive abilities? Vocabulary Comprehension each word only once.
C. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use
disparities
episodic
stark
bound to
ingrained
speculated
numeracy
startling
stereotype
wired
initiative amalgam intruder hitherto life expectancy 1. The police think the ............... got in through an unlocked window. 2. They rejected the sexual ............... of blue for a boy and pink for a girl, and dressed their baby in other colors instead. 3. Some analysts ............... that jobs will be lost. 4. These ............... are matters of concern 5. History is an ............... of fact and action. 6. The problem is especially serious for an ............... memory, which is a unique category that ties together a series of elements. 7. The report suggests that students need to improve their ............... skills. 8. The movie shows the ............... realities of life in the ghetto. 9. Paddy’s words had a ............... effect on the children. 10. They have ............... been the most generally used in clinical trials. 11. The idea of doing our duty is deeply ............... in most people. 12. Don’t lie to her. She’s ............... find out. 13. Another key set of ............... bonds is that between adult males.
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Chapter 11: Discovering Topics of paragraphs 14. In fact, women at all ages spent proportionately more of their remaining ............... in residential care than men. 15. A recent ............... on recycling was extremely successful.
Discussion
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
1. What part of the reading surprised you? 2. In what way gender studies like the one in the passage is useful? 3. What does the title bring to your mind? 4. Modern times require modern thinking. Discuss this sentence.
5. Who do the children go to for emotional support? For financial support? Why? 6. Why the responsibilities of parents are different?
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
Chapter 12
Chapter Preview
Decluttering the company
READING SKILL: Inferring Cause and Effect
While reading, realizing cause and effect relationship can help you better understand and organize the information in a reading passage.
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“If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what then is an empty desk – Albert Einstein
Chapter 12: Arguing FoInferring Cause and Effect
Pre-Reading Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Discuss these questions in pairs.
Do you have a part time job? If so, what do you do? Do you like to work in an office? Do you think government offices run well in your country? What is annoying about going to government offices? Do you ever get fed up of the red tape in local and national governments? Do think you ever would like to be in a lot of meetings for your work?
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions.
Vocabulary Warm-up 1. debilitate
a) a detailed examination of something in order to check if it is good enough
2. sixfold
b) an amount of something that someone is expected to do or achieve
3. relentless
c) a large part or amount of something
4. audit
d)
5. chunk
e) if a situation spirals, it gets worse, more violent etc. in a way that cannot be controlled
6. quota
f) to make an organization or system less effective or powerful
7. spiral
g) something bad that is relentless continues without ever stopping or getting less severe
8. bureaucracy
h) by six times as much or as many
9. declutter
i) to make a place tidy by removing things you do not want or need
a complicated official system that is annoying or confusing because it has a lot of rules, processes
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Reading Skill
Inferring Cause and Effect
Often you read, you recognize a cause-and-effect relationship because the writer directly states that relationship, using words and phrases such as because, due to, as a result, so, therefore, etc. At other times, the relationships are less obvious, and you have to make inference-and educated guess based on your own knowledge and experience- about the causes or the effects. Writers organize their explanations of cause-and-effect relationships by focusing on causes, on effects, or on causal chains. (Casual chains begin with the first cause and follow with a series of intermediate actions or events to the final effect.) For example, an essay focusing on effects identifies and explains several effects resulting from one cause. An essay focusing on causes identifies and explains several causes of one effect 1 1 Holt, Rinehart and Winston
A. Read the passage quickly and identify the causes for the following results.
1.________ 2________ 3________
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Clutter
1.________
2________
Chapter 12: Arguing FoInferring Cause and Effect
1 someone who knows a lot about a particular subject, and gives advice to other people: 2 to discuss something in order to reach an agreement, especially in business or politics 3 a large number of things that are scattered somewhere in an untidy way 4 to stick out in a rounded shape, especially because something is very full or too tight 5 something that you are trying hard to achieve, especially in business or politics 6 to make something such as a business, organization etc. work more simply and effectively 7 a lean organization, company etc. uses only as much money and as many people as it needs, so that nothing is wasted
8 one of several levels in an organization or system 9 to guess a number or amount, without calculating it exactly 10 a sudden or quick increase in the number or amount of something: 11 to eagerly accept a new idea, opinion, religion 12 to try very hard to do something using all your strength or ability 13 of a good enough standard or quality
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 to expect or ask someone to do something for you when this is not convenient for them 2 if a situation spirals, it gets worse, more violent etc. in a way that cannot be controlled
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3 a short official note to another person in the same company or organization 4 the place that someone comes from or lives in 5 to become worse
Chapter 12: Arguing FoInferring Cause and Effect
1 a very bad effect that something has on something or someone over a long period of time. 2 the level of confidence and positive feelings that people have, especially people who work together, who belong to the same team etc. 3 to be interrupted by something, especially when this is repeated 4 to work together with a person or group in order to achieve something, especially in science or art. 5 happening a number of times, usually at regular times 6 when you clean a house thoroughly, usually once a year 7 to clean the dust, dirt etc. from the floor or ground, using a brush with a long handle 8 a series of actions intended to achieve a particular result relating to politics or business, or a social improvement
9 a large business organization consisting of several different companies that have joined together. 10 money spent regularly on rent, insurance, electricity, and other things that are needed to keep a business operating 11 money that a business or organization receives over a period of time, especially from selling goods or services 12 someone or something that has the same job or purpose as someone or something else in a different place 13 international car registration for Georgia 14 A principal rival 15 to officially end a law, system etc. especially one that has existed for a long time 16 To take control of something. 17 if a group of people call for something, they ask publicly for something to be done
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
Wasting time, wasting money 1 used to tell someone to stop saying things that are completely wrong 2 someone who takes a job or position previously held by someone else 3 by being in charge of a meeting or directs the work of a committee or organization. 4 to give support to an opinion, idea, or feeling, and make it stronger 5 to gradually increase in numbers or amount until there is a large quantity in one place 6 to prevent someone or something from continuing. 7 to begin to deal with a new subject rather than the main one which was being discussed.
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8 a system for making things in a factory in which the products move past a line of workers who each make or check one part 9 to notice someone or something, especially when they are difficult to see or recognize 10 to reduce something by a half:
Chapter 12: Arguing FoInferring Cause and Effect
Reading Comprehension
B. Answer the following questions.
1. What is PETER DRUCKER’s idea about management? 2. What do employees have to do before they can focus on their real work? 3. Why did manufacturers battle for over past 50 years? 4. What does BCG stand for? 5. What kind of company is Bain & Company? 6. Has the amount of time that managers spend on meeting been increased since 2008? 7. What kind of changes have happened in external communications since 1970? 8. How does employing a senior vice-president influence the amount of work in a company? 9. Based on Amabile study when do employees work well? 10. What is the solution for getting rid of clutter? 11. What is the aim of “culture of simplification”? 12. How did a manufacturer make saving based on Bain study?
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
Vocabulary Comprehension C. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use each word only once. bulging
overheads
cut the crap
guru
assembly-line
embrace
punctuated
decent
conglomerate
lean
toll
streamlining
explosion
halt
degenerate
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
The silence was occasionally ............... by laughter. The conference ............... into a complete fiasco. Their offices are in London so the ............... are very high. Nobody contends that reforms and ............... are not useful. He was proud of his fully mechanized ............... and wanted to show it off. Just ............... and tell me what really happened. An ............... of conflict last month left at least six people dead in the town. Don’t you have a ............... jacket? He fell heavily to the floor, his eyes ............... wide with fear. Operating efficiency ratios show that Techno systems runs a ............... operation, with all ratios above the industry averages. We hope these regions will ............... democratic reforms. Years of smoking have taken their ............... on his health. A vast American ............... has announced plans to buy the site at a cost of well over a billion dollars. More often, we opted for the quick fix or the solution offered by the management ............... of the month. The government has failed to...............economic decline.
D. Read and listen to the text, and check if the following statements are True (T), False (F), and Not Given (NG) NG 1. Other businesses should do the same action like manufactures. 2. The BCG has been improved the organizational complexity. 3. The Fortune 500 list was created in 2001. 4. The complexity of organizations has decreased sixfold.
5. Performance imperatives has not been changed since 1995.
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T
F
Chapter 12: Arguing FoInferring Cause and Effect
NG
T
F
6. Senior managers spend less time than usual managers in meeting. 7. Complexity probably is the result of over-planing. 8. Co-ordination has a tendency to degenerate into clutter. 9. Meeting has a negative impact on creative thinking. 10. Employees will work better if they collaborate with more colleges.
Discussion
1. 2. 3. 4.
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
What can be done in order to stop accumulating of clutter? What tips did you find useful in the passage? Do you think meetings are effective? What do you think is the best approach in managing the staff?
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Chapter 13
Advanced Reading with The Economist
Corruption in FIFA
READING SKILL: Recognizing Sources
Writers often refer to other sources of information on a subject in order to support their main points.
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“Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your – Muhammad Ali
Chapter13:RecognizingSources
Pre-Reading Questions
Discuss these questions in pairs.
1. Why do you think football is the world’s most popular sport? 2. Is there anything else that joins the world in celebration like the football World Cup? 3. In 30 seconds, can you explain what football is? 4. “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death…I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.” What do you think of the thoughts of this famous football manager? 5. How can football authorities change the rules to make the game more exciting? 6. Do you think there should be more technological help for referees such as video check? 7. Do you think football is a corrupt sport? Vocabulary Warm-up
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions.
1. sidestep
a) one of the two parts of a parliament or of the US Congress
2. adjudicatory chamber
b) a group of vehicles that are controlled by one company.
3. fleet
c) a competition in which players compete against each other in a series of games until there is one winner
4. stink
d) to make someone extremely angry
5. bigwig
e) something that shows who is responsible for something bad or how something really happened
6. smoking gun
f) used to say that something is bad, unfair, dishonest etc
7. infuriate
g) an important person
8. tournament
h) to avoid dealing with something difficult
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Reading Skill
Recognizing Sources
Writers often refer to other sources of information on a subject in order to support their main points. These sources may include other writers, research reports, or surveys. Example: When a group of Nebraska students sought to match faces and nationalities of 15 European countries, they were scored wrong in 93 percent of their identifications. (Reference to a research report)1 1 Linda Lee & Jean Bernard
A. Read through each of the following statements carefully. Scan through the reading passage and decide if each statement is From the Writer (W) or From Another Source (S). Check () the correct colum. W a) Mohamed bin Hammam has had extensive complaining for World Cup 2022.. b) Sepp Blatter is very complacent. c) Sepp Blatter has accepted and been supervisor of a very bad deal. d) Mr bin Hammam seek the support of African footballing authorities with a $5m fund and other treatments.. e) Qatari bidding team had no connection with Mr bin Hammam. f) Mr bin Hammam’s private office and the bid team shared the same building g) The case for a new contest for hosting the world Cup 2022 will be hard to resist h) Summer heat will be dangerous for football players. i)
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When Games start on June 12th, attention will be shifted away from Mr Blatter to the games
S
Chapter13:RecognizingSources
The growing stink at FIFA
1 a feeling you have that someone is probably guilty of doing something wrong or dishonest 2 a place where an organized meeting, concert etc takes place 3 to succeed in getting something, especially something difficult to get 4 a surprising fact about someone or something that was previously secret and is now made known 5 large, impressive, or expensive 6 to lead or take part in a series of actions intended to achieve a particular social or political result 7 to do something so bad that you make other people feel ashamed 8 extremely hot
9 if an event or fact tarnishes someone’s reputation, record, image etc, it makes it worse. 10 to offer to pay a particular price for goods, especially in an 11 too great to be described in words 12 pleased with a situation, especially something you have achieved, so that you stop trying to improve or change things – used to show disapproval 13 clever at getting what you want, especially by tricking people 14 designating or of an activity carried on in or as in a backroom; behind-the-scenes 15 a feeling of great anger and shock
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 A medieval servant who supervised the serving of meals 2 a manager in an organization or company who helps make important decisions 3 to ask someone for money, help, or information 4 undercover work is done secretly by the police in order to catch criminals or find out information 5 a secret plan by a group of people to do something harmful or illegal 6 happy and having no worries
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7 difficult to believe and therefore unlikely to be true 8 someone who has a very detailed knowledge of law 9 a statement that someone has done something wrong or illegal, but that has not been proved 10 to dishonestly arrange the result of an election or competition before it happens 11 if a meeting, event, or a football game kicks off, it starts
Chapter13:RecognizingSources
1 he worry, disappointment, or unhappiness you feel when something unpleasant happens 2 to try to persuade someone to do something such as buy something from you, vote for you, or work for you – used in news reports 3 an amount of money kept for dishonest purposes, especially in politics 4 an expensive trip paid for by government money or by a business for people they employ – used to show disapproval 5 someone who tells people in authority or the public about dishonest or illegal practices at the place where they work 6 an offer to pay a particular price for something, especially at an auction bid for
7 someone whose job is to help someone who has an important job, especially a politician: 8 to say that something is true or that someone has done something wrong, although it has not been proved 9 to try to persuade the government or someone with political power that a law or situation should be changed
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 to refuse to consider someone’s idea, opinion etc., because you think it is not serious, true, or important 2 not proved or tested 3 all the time from the beginning, while something was happening
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4 a circle made of gold and decorated with jewels, worn by kings and queens on their heads 5 a set of clothes and equipment that you use for a particular purpose such as playing a sport 6 to remove something that is covering the surface of something else 7 not able to be criticized, made weaker, or beaten 8 to
Chapter13:RecognizingSources
Reading Comprehension
B. Answer the following questions.
1. Who is Mohamed bin Hammam? 2. Why Sepp Blatter is under pressure? 3. What does EXCO stand for? 4. What has been the reason or forcing out of committee for several members of FIFA’s executive in recent years? 5. What was the intention of Mr. Blatter’s setting up an independent governance committee? 6. When will Mr. Garcia complete the first stage of his investigation? 7. What was Mr. Garcia’s purpose of traveling around the world? 8. What was the content of e-mails obtained by the Sunday Times? 9. What does Hassan al-Thawadi say about Mr. Bin Hammam? 10. How does Mr Pieth have described the Sunday Times e-mails? 11. Which team is supported by Mr. Sarkozy? 12. What are FIFA’s six biggest sponsors? C. Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Check () the correct colum: True (T) if the statement agrees with the information False (F) if the statement contradicts the information Not Given (NG) if there is no information on this T
F
NG
a) Qatar is going to host the 2022’s world cup. b) Qatar is the best place for football. c) Mr. Blatter will be president for a fifth four-year term at the head of FIFA.
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Advanced Reading with The Economist d) Mr. bin Hammam was banned from football administration for short time e) Mark Pieth will be the head of independent governance committee. f) Mr. Garcia wont examine the e-mails obtained by the Sunday Times. g) FIFA’s own technical committee, described America as the only high-risk bidder. h) Mr Platini denies all of the allegations.
Vocabulary Comprehension
D. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use each word only once.
soliciting
lobbying
bid
allegations
slush fund
revelations
strip
wooed
kit
unassailable
unproven
tarnished
aides
whistle-blower
dismay
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
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Morgan is accused of illegally .................. campaign contributions. Upon taking office, Chavalit, a former army chief, .................. the military to try to shore up his political power. He resigned after .................. about his affair. The result gave the team an .................. lead. I told the children to put on their gym .................. and go outside. Perhaps he was viewed less as a courageous .................. than as an irritating gadfly. He claimed the atomic theory of crystal shape was .................. . .................. the beds and wash the sheets. It also stated that Stans maintained a secret .................. of cash in his office totaling at least $ 350, 000. The group is .................. for a reduction in defence spending. A committee will investigate .................. of racial discrimination. They put in a .................. for the house. They stared at each other in .................. . Bernstein was trying to explain his headline problems to Ruby when Gerstein strode past with a retinue of .................. . His regime was .................. by human rights abuses.
Chapter13:RecognizingSources
Discussion
1. 2. 3. 4.
Discuss the following questions with a partner.
Do you believe we can get rid of corruption in football? How do you feel about football after reading this article? What do you think is the main culprit in football corruption? Is there any sport related corruption in your country?
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Chapter 14
Advanced Reading with The Economist
Planetology comes of age
Recognizing Analogies An analogy is a comparison between two things that are similar in some respects but different in others. Writers often use analogies to explain something in an interesting way.
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“Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be – Carl Sagan
Chapter 14: Recognizing Analogies
Pre-Reading Questions
Discuss these questions in pairs.
1. 2. 3. 4.
Would you like to be an astronaut? Why or why not? Would you like to go to the moon or travel into space? Which country do you think will be first to send astronauts to Mars? A group of stars is called a constellation. Some examples are Orion, the Big Dipper, and Cassiopeia. What are the names of some constellations in your language? How did they get these names? 5. Have you ever used a telescope? What did you look at? 6. Can you name the planets in English? Try.
Vocabulary Warm-up 1. veteran 2. crude 3. colossal 4. graft 5. conjecture
Match these terms from the reading with their definitions. a) hard work b) used to emphasize that something is extremely large c) to increase the amount or size of something d) an idea or opinion formed by guessing e) to give someone a false idea about something
6. scale-up
f) the study of the origin, composition, and distribution of matter in the planets
7. belie
g) someone who has had a lot of experience of a particular activity
8. Planetology
h) not exact or without any detail, but generally correct and useful
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Advanced Reading with The Economist Reading Skill
Recognizing Analogies
An analogy is a comparison between two things that are similar in some respects but different in others. Writers often use analogies to explain something in an interesting way. Example: Our intellectual interests like a tree or flow like a river. So long as there is proper sap, the tree will grow anyhow, and so long as there is fresh current from the spring, the water will flow. (The way intellectual interests grow is compared to the way trees grow and the way rivers flow.) By making this analogy, the author suggests that intellectual growth is a natural occurrence rather something forced or mechanical. 1
1 Linda Lee & Jean Bernard
A. Read the first paragraph of the reading and identify the two things or activities that are being compared and explain how they are similar. 1.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Chapter 14: Recognizing Analogies
1 the central part of an atom, made up of neutrons, protons, and other elementary 2 to think of an idea, answer etc. 3 a small bird with a short beak 4 a quick increase of business activity 5 a planet which orbits a star outside the solar system.
6 the distance from the centre to the edge of a circle, or a line drawn from the Centre to the edge
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
Testing the boundaries
1 not definite or certain, and may be changed later 2 an opinion that everyone in a group agrees with or accepts
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Chapter 14: Recognizing Analogies
1 to deliberately disobey a law, rule etc, without trying to hide what you are doing 2 a substance that is dense has a lot of mass in relation to its size 3 soft and full of air: 4 to keep something so that it can be used by a particular person or for a particular purpose 5 relating to the Earth rather than to the moon or other planets 6 when a liquid boils, or when you boil it, it becomes hot enough to turn into gas
7 to send a weapon or spacecraft into the sky or into space 8 close to the point at which something different, especially something bad, will happen 9 to take a photograph 10 to fasten two things together using a bolt 11 to make a liquid thicker by removing some of the water 12 To spoil the beauty or appearance of; disfigure 13 to reduce or prevent the bad effect of something, by doing something that has the opposite effect 14 to make something dirty with mud
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Advanced Reading with The Economist
1 a cover that is put over the flame of a gas or oil lamp to make it shine more brightly.
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2 to make the difference between two ideas, subjects etc. less clear 3 Used to express sorrow, regret, grief, compassion, or apprehension of danger or evil 4 something that is likely to make someone upset or angry when you talk about it 5 to spread something out
Chapter 14: Recognizing Analogies
1 a moribund organization, industry etc is no longer active or effective and may be coming to an end
Reading Comprehension B. Answer the following questions. 1. How did LORD RUTHERFORD define science? 2. What is the basic step for developing a theory? 3. How many planets have been studied by planetary science? 4. Where does a wealth of data come from in planetary science? 5. What is Kepler? 6. What does intermediate size planet mean? 7. What are gaseous Earths called? 8. What does make Kepler 314c one of the lightest planet in the world? 9. Where does the Kepler’s formation hypothesis infer from? 10. According to Dr Kipping how the formation hypothesis be confirmed? 11. Which features make super-Earths habitable? 12. What was the intention behind using space probe? C. Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Check () the correct colum: True (T) if the statement agrees with the information False (F) if the statement contradicts the information Not Given (NG) if there is no information on this T
F
NG
a) LORD RUTHERFORD discovered atomic bomb. b) Much of the planetary data has come from a specially designed space camera called Kepler. c) Solar system has three “ice giants”. d) There is not any intermediate size planet in the local solar system.
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Advanced Reading with The Economist e) Larger worlds are rocky, and their surfaces is buried beneath deep blankets of fluids. f) Theory of evaporating atmospheres is confirmed. g) Powerful telescope can determine how much of alien planet’s surface was solid and how much liquid.
Vocabulary Comprehension D. From the list of words below, select the correct word for each blank space. Use each word only once. flouted
reserved
mantles
on the edge of
consensus
muddy
wealth of
moribund
radius
bolted
sore subject
snapped
launched
boom
nucleus
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
There is a .................. information available about pregnancy and birth. Level above the cloud tops. The group also looked for John Deere equipment in a 20-mile ................... The union had openly .................. the law. Just don’t mention it – it’s always been a .................. with him. The region’s heavy industry is still inefficient and ................... Within the .................. an atomic nucleus is very small; less than 10 -15 meters in diameter. The cell contained an iron bed frame .................. to the floor. From beginning to end, each cycle of .................. and slump lasts, Kondratiev argued, for about fifty years. Lizzy walked around the edge of the field, taking care not to .................. her new shoes. Dave .................. a picture of me and Sonia. Their economy is .................. collapse. A test satellite was .................. from Cape Canaveral. A separate room is .................. for smokers. A lack of .................. about the aims of the project. In this view, hot, insulated .................. wells up beneath a supercontinent, causing it to balloon upward.
Discussion Discuss the following questions with a partner. 1. Did you feel overwhelmed by the facts describing the size of the universe? 2. What are the implications of having such an enormous universe? What does it tell us about the possibilities that are out there?
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Ackert, P., and L. Lee. 2006. Cause and effect. United States of America: Thomson Heinle. Anderson, N. J. 2008. Active skills for reading. Canada: Thomson Heinle. Carter, R. 2013. Applied linguistics and material development. India: Bloomsbury Academic. Geyte, E. V. 2011. Reading for IELTS. Trento: HarperCollins. Lee, L., and J. Bernard. 2011. Select readings. New York: Oxford. Mikulecky, B. C., and L. Jeffries. 2004. More reading power. United States of America: Longman. Lindeck, J. , J. Greenwood., and K. OSullivan.2011. Reading and writing skills. Australia: Macmillan. Scrivener, J. 2011. Learning teaching: The essential guide to English language teaching. Australia: Macmillan. Richards, J. C. 2009. Curriculum development in language teaching. New York: Cambridge university press.